Patriotic Plays and Pageants for Young People eBook

In the final procession (if the players choose to
have a procession), The Spirit of Patriotism should
march first, and behind her should follow the other
players in the order of their scenes. This preserves
the order of the epochs also, and makes an excellent
color scheme—­the tawny yellows and reds
of the Indian garb, the dark Puritan costumes, the
pinks and blues of the Colonial period as against the
more somber colors of the settler’s homespun,
etc., etc. In order to give such a
procession its full effect it should not seem too stiff
and premeditated. Let some of the players march
two and two, and then have some important character
walking alone. Sometimes it may be possible to
have a group of three, or a tall young player with
two smaller and younger players, following her.
Or again a line of Indians single file. The properties
should be carried in the procession to add to its
effectiveness. The canoe, as if it were still
a matter of portage; the sedan chair of the Duchess
of Bourbon; the Indian war-drum used in “Princess
Pocahontas,” etc., etc. Needless
to say these properties are carried in the group and
epoch in which they belong. If the pageant is
given on a very large scale which includes the Liberty
Dance at the end, all those who took part in the dance
should form the end of the procession. There
should be a space between them and the last of the
settlers, as there is between the past and the present.
In this space should walk a figure symbolizing Hope
and Joy—­a young girl in draperies of the
palest green, and hair bound with a Greek fillet.
In her hands she carries a great laurel wreath.

When the Pageant of Patriots had its first production
in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, the youthful players marched
around the great oval outside which the audience sat,
and having circled it once, marched off the scene.
If, however, the future producers of this pageant wish
to reverse this order, it can easily be done, by having
the march end in the final tableau. It is merely
a matter of choice.

In the Final Tableau The Spirit of Patriotism should
stand on the stage in the middle foreground, center,
and grouped about her should be the young folk of
the various centuries. This scene should be well
mapped out and rehearsed beforehand, so that the ensemble
will be splendidly significant and glowing in its
effect, and there should be no clashes in the color
scheme. The notes of “America” should
be sung with tremendous fervor and power.

In many cases the pageant will, of necessity, have
to be rehearsed indoors. Outdoor places to rehearse
in are not always obtainable, nor weather always propitious;
moreover, with young people the out-of-doors has too
many distractions. Armories or halls are excellent
places to rehearse in; so are gymnasiums. The
episodes should be rehearsed separately. Rehearsing
in a small room is fatal. It gives the youthful
performers a tendency to huddle, from which they seldom